Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of being “bullied into action” over the election gambling scandal after a question over politicians’ “lack of integrity and honesty” in the final TV debate.
As the debate in Nottingham came to an end, Metropolitan Police released a statement saying it was taking on a “small number of cases” to assess whether some of those involved have committed misconduct in public office. The Gambling Commission will continue to probe alleged breaches of the Gambling Act, it said.
The first audience member to grill the two leaders at the BBC debate said allegations of betting on the election have left many “dismayed”.
Sir Keir compared the scandal to ‘partygate’, saying: “You have to lead from the front on issues like this.
“When one of my team was alleged to have been involved and investigated by the Gambling Commission, they were suspended within minutes, because I knew it made it really important to be swift.
“The prime minister delayed and delayed and delayed until eventually he was bullied into taking action.”
Mr Sunak responded: “It was important to me that given the seriousness and the sensitivity of the matters at hand that they were dealt with properly, and that’s what I’ve done.”
He added that he was “furious” and “frustrated” by the allegations.
Police responded to reports in The Sun that the force was taking over the entire investigation, saying: “The Met is not taking over the investigation into bets on the timing of the general election.
“The Gambling Commission will continue to lead the investigation into cases where the alleged offending is limited to breaches of the Gambling Act only.
“Met detectives will lead on investigating a small number of cases to assess whether the alleged offending goes beyond Gambling Act offences to include others, such as misconduct in public office. We will provide further information tomorrow.”
At least five Conservatives have been embroiled in the scandal, with two candidates suspended over betting, alongside one from Labour.
Wednesday’s debate was the last before voters go to the ballot box on 4 July. A Sky News snap poll suggests the public viewed their performance equally.
The first section was somewhat overshadowed by loud shouting from protesters outside the building.
Referencing the noise, presenter Mishal Husain said the protest, which was in support of the people of Gaza, was an example of “democracy” and people “expressing their freedom of speech”.
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